Taking Responsibilty
by CantoCookieMonster
Summary: High School AU. When you think things are going back to normal, life throws everything back at you. Matthew knows this from experience. His suspension for what his twin did is finished, but things are still falling apart at home. Also, the people Alfred beat up are returning to school, and they still remember the anger in their assailant's blue eyes. Matthew's eyes aren't blue.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is!**

**This is a follow up/sequel to my other story, Taking the Blame! If you haven't read it, I suggest that you do before reading this one. It's only three chapters. Won't take you long.**

**I hope this is okay, and if you guys think it's completely incompetent, tell me and I'll redo it.**

**I'm serious. I don't want you guys to read something that isn't worth your time.**

**Thoughts are in bold and Italics. I apologize if Alfred seems OOC.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys like it! And I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

Matthew Williams waved to his hockey teammates as they left after their daily visit. "See you back at school!" shouted Matthias from the sidewalk. That earned him an elbow to the side, courtesy of Nikolas. Everyone still on the street laughed, and Matthew, chuckling to himself, returned inside his house.

If the Dane had not reminded him, Matthew would have forgotten that his suspension was over. The hockey team had kept him updated on everything going on at school. They took turns bringing his homework, and Matthias had dubbed himself Matthew's "Human News Feed" since the Canadian wasn't at school to know what events were going on, and what the latest gossip was. Matthew never knew that so many couples could break up, get back together, and then break up again in a matter of four days. Neither did he know Matthias cared so much about high school drama.

The rest of the team cheered him up in their own ways. Leon and Emil brought him mounds of maple flavoured sweets, ranging from the Icelandic's homemade maple licorice, to the Asian's own maple syrup infused egg tarts. How Matthew wasn't fat yet, no one knew.

Berwald and Tino had brought Tino's dog over. The little white puppy had immediately attached itself to Matthew, and wouldn't let go. The blond kept him for a day when the Finn was at school, and he had to admit that the house seemed homier because he wasn't alone. Besides, Hanatamago reminded him of Kuma...juju?, well if his bear was alive.

Ivan brought him tapes of "The World's Funniest Hockey Fails." When Matthew didn't want to study, it was perfect. What was better than watching pileups on the ice, or the occasional accidental crotch shot when the referee stood a little too close? He really had to thank Ivan, even if the Russian creeped him out a little. Even Vash came by with some cheese and maple syrup. It had been bought, and everyone knows how much Vash likes spending money. The Canadian felt honored.

The Beilschmidts though, really went further than everyone else. Gilbert and even Ludwig had tried convincing their grandfather to let Matthew back on the team. Matthew had listened as Matthias told him about the afterschool arguments in the office, and how Gilbert looked like he was going to bite Mr. Beilschmidt's head off during every single one of them. Ludwig took a more reasonable approach that used less yelling, but had all the same fury behind his words.

More than once, Gilbert had come to Matthew's house later than everyone else, glaring angrily at everything, and muttering German curses under his breath. It was amazing that Mr. Beilschmidt had not kicked his older grandson out of the hockey team yet.

Arthur, though not on the team, came and visited every day, just to check up on him. The student council president checked over his schoolwork, saying something along the lines of "Self-teaching will do you no good, well, neither will the teaching of some particularly incompetent teachers at school, but anyways, this one is incorrect."

Matthew sighed and sat down on the couch in the living room. He hoped the incident was blowing over at school, so he wouldn't have to deal with it. At home, the Canadian still avoided Frederick. In truth, it wasn't that hard when Frederick never talked to his older son in the first place.

The problem at home that troubled Matthew the most was concerning Alfred. Since the second day of his suspension, when Al had returned from school, he hadn't spoken a word to Matthew. The American had opened his mouth a couple times, about to say something, but then he just shook his head and walked away. Afterwards, every time the twins' eyes met, Alfred would wince and look away. The Canadian couldn't figure out what was going on with his brother, and honestly, he was kind of worried.

The sound of the door being opened snapped Matthew out of his thoughts. "Al, is that you?" When the Canadian heard rapid footsteps going up the stairs, he got up and ran. There was no way he was letting Alfred get away without telling him what was wrong.

He almost caught up with Alfred, despite his lack of hockey practice for the past couple days. The American had already made his way into his room and was about to shut the door. "Al, wait!" cried Matthew, although due to his soft voice it sounded more like a loud whisper. Reflexes kicking in, he stuck his foot between the door and the doorframe just as Alfred tried slamming it.

Matthew hissed as the door hit his bare foot, but was glad he had stopped the barrier from closing between him and his brother. Walking delicately into Alfred's room onto what little floor space was left, he approached the other blond, who was sitting on his unmade bed.

"What's wrong?" As soon as that came out of Matthew's mouth, Alfred whirled to face him.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" The older twin was shocked silent by his brother's outburst. "All this time you've sat there silently. Why didn't you TELL me this bothered you? Why did you have someone write that damn letter? Is this your way of taking revenge on me?" '_**What am I saying? I want to apologize, not yell at him!'**_But Alfred found that he couldn't stop. "It makes you happy to see me guilty huh? That I'm finally getting what I deserve." The angry look that the American had on his face was the same as the one he had on when he fought those four people. It was the one that scared Matthew. "Thanks for nothing, brother." Alfred spat out the last word as if it was poison on his tongue. "Now get out."

Too shocked to hide the hurt on his face, Matthew stood up, and left. He was beyond confused. What letter? What revenge? Is this the kind of person Alfred thought he was? _**'I see you've returned. How long has it been, three, four days? You're finally questioning yourself again. He seems to hate you now, Matthew. What did you do now?' **_Numbly walking into his own room, the Canadian blinked slowly. He didn't know. What did he do?

* * *

Alfred found himself going on a killing spree in his online game. He needed to get his mind off of things. His partner, Kiku, seem to notice his rampage.

"Are you okay?" asked the Japanese teen. Alfred stopped playing, and he and Kiku went to a video chat.

"You're polite, Kiku, so tell me, how do you apologize to someone?" Kiku didn't really know how to respond.

"In what kind of situation?" Alfred thought about it, and then shrugged.

"I guess it would classify as a sibling argument," replied the American.

Kiku blinked a couple times before answering. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good with sibring arguments either." The Japanese looked truly troubled by the fact that he couldn't help.

Alfred smiled. "It's okay, bro. I can deal with it. No one can resist the hero!" Kiku smiled a bit at his friend's quick change in mood. Sure, he was a bit obnoxious, and loud, and unsubtle, but he was a good person at heart. "Let's keep playing, Kiku! I have asses to kick!"

* * *

"Alfred! Dinner!" Amelia called her son down, and hearing rapid footsteps descending the steps, she couldn't help but giggle. Looking over at her husband, who was already seated, they shared a knowing look. No one came between Alfred and his food.

With everyone sitting down, Frederick said grace, and they ate. No one noticed Matthew leaning against the door frame, watching the three other members of his family. The Canadian looked at the table, and saw that there was no plate for him. _**'No plate? You mean no place.'**_ Matthew went to the fridge, grabbed the slice of cold pizza that he hadn't eaten for lunch, and returned silently to his room. There was no use in staying. Frederick would probably turn silent, refusing to speak, and with what happened only a couple hours before, so would Alfred. His absence at the table wouldn't be a bad thing. _**'Your absence there is a good thing. Don't want to shatter the picture of the perfect family, do you?'**_ The perfect family. Matthew hadn't seen himself in that picture for a long time.

* * *

Alfred helped Amelia with the dishes, while listening to the sound of the football game on TV. Frederick sat on the couch watching, and occasionally yelling out questions to Alfred about his future football career.

"Hey, Allie," said Amelia.

"Hey, Amelio," replied Alfred with a laugh.

The blonde woman laughed as well, but then turned a bit more serious. "Is it just me, or do I seem to have fewer dishes today?" Alfred looked over in the sink. Nothing left except little bits of food and some bubbles from the leaky soap dispenser. He shook his head.

"Must be me then. All the food's gone anyways, so nothing seems to be wrong." Amelia poked Alfred playfully in the side. "Except for the fact that my football player son may be getting too fat for his uniform."

Alfred gasped in mock horror. "Daddy!" he cried, "Mommy's being mean!"

Frederick's tone was filled with amusement as he called back, "Better eat less sugar, Alfred! Then she won't be telling the truth!" The three teased each other in ways only family could, and the decreased number of dishes was quickly put out of everyone's minds.

* * *

All Matthew could do was block out the laughter from downstairs. It was rather easy, since all he had to do was focus on the complaints of his stomach instead. Cold pizza only went so far. _**'Here we are, back again, all alone. They all forgot. Don't you feel loved?'**_ Matthew cringed inwardly, but shrugged it off. No matter what, they were his family, and he couldn't change that. He loved all of them. Why else would he take Alfred's place? _**'Keep telling yourself that.'**_

The Canadian tried to reassure himself. "I will," he whispered. Matthew ignored anything else the little voice in his head had to say, opting instead to finish some assignments. He did have to go back to school soon, after all.

* * *

Closing his football playbook, Alfred leaned back in his chair. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something very important. He went over his stack of homework. Nothing there stood out to him. Logging on to his game, he checked for any unfinished requests. Nothing. So what was bothering him?

A video chat noticed popped up. Turning on his webcam, Alfred opened the program. "KIKU! What's up?" The Japanese dipped his head in greeting.

"No, it's nothing important. I just wanted to see if your sibring probrem has been creared up yet."

'_**Sibling Problem? What sibling pro-'**_ Alfred felt like smashing his face in the wall. Damn it. That's what he had forgotten. "I'm still working that out. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Kiku!"

"Okay, good night." By the way Alfred acted, Kiku knew that he hadn't remember. He hoped the American would figure out how to fix everything, but Kiku wished that he could have helped more. However, when the Japanese teen looked at his online character's stats, he decided maybe Alfred's rampage wasn't so bad. He had collected a lot of gold for the team.

* * *

Alfred walked up to the closed door that led to Matthew's room. He tried knocking, then when there was no response, he just started talking. "Hey Mattie, I'm sorry about today. I'm sorry about everything that happened, not only this time, but all the times before. Will you forgive me? I mean I know you might not want to, but still..." Alfred heard nothing from inside. "C'mon Matt, I'm actually apologizing here. Isn't this what you wanted? Can you please answer me? If you don't I'll just think you're not forgiving me." The silence from inside the room made Alfred sad, but also angry.

"So this is your answer? Okay Matt. I'll just leave you alone from now on. This is what you want, right?" The Canadian gave no answer.

"Goodnight Matt." Alfred turned from the door he had been speaking into and went back to his room.

What he didn't know was that Matthew had already gone to sleep, trying to ignore the empty feeling in his stomach, and the loneliness in his mind. The Canadian hadn't heard a word Alfred had said.

* * *

**To be continued!**

**I realize I have a lot of linebreaks. I'll work on that.**

**And maybe you guys think Matthew questioning himself seems to get repetitive. When you're lonely, everything is being questioned. It's a sad place to be in. I speak from experience.**

**Meanwhile, please tell me what you guys think. I would love reviews, and any Constructive critisism I can get.**

**Flame for all I care. Again, you're just telling me I can do better.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**CCM**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

**This is Chapter 2! I wrote it, and it was kind of like a filler, so I re-wrote it and it still came out like a filler.**

**So it's a filler of some sorts.**

**I apologize if it's incompetent.**

**Thoughts are Bold and Italic! I don't own Hetalia!**

* * *

The weekend had been horrible for Matthew. Since he was grounded, he couldn't go anywhere. Whenever the entire family was still in the house, Alfred wouldn't speak to him, Frederick didn't even look at him, and Amelia, though she tried, didn't do much to help. The only time Matthew had felt comfortable was when he had been alone, in his room, where the silence wasn't tension filled, like everywhere else.

However, it was Monday morning, and the Canadian could finally return to school. He had never been this happy to be able to rush out of the house, and seeing the bus come to take him away, Matthew almost smiled.

Boarding the bus, he heard loud a loud "HEY!" from somewhere in the bus. Matthias and some of his other hockey friends had started waving their arms at him. "CAPTAIN'S COME HOMEEEE!" At this, Matthew started laughing softly. Taking a seat beside Arthur, who had surprisingly become good friends with the hockey team, the Canadian started to be filled in on what had been going on over the weekend. Stories of Tino's dog, Ivan's sister, and of Arthur's rabbit running around his house, dropping its waste everywhere, including his older brothers, kept everyone entertained until the bus arrived in front of Terra High.

The hockey team walked into the school, dispersing to their individual lockers shortly after. Matthew was putting his things back into the locker when a tap on his shoulder caused him to turn around. The Canadian saw Leon and his cousin, Kiku, a sophomore, standing behind him, well, now in front of him.

"Better hurry up, Captain," said Leon, "Mrs. Chang is starting a new chapter today." The freshman and his cousin watched as Matthew gathered everything he needed and shut his locker.

"You know you can call me Matthew," said the blond, walking with the Asians to the Grade 10 advanced Math classes.

Leon shook his head. "You're older than me, so I shouldn't." Matthew gave up. Ever since he had gotten to know the Chinese boy, not once had he called the Canadian by name. He tried talking to Kiku instead.

"Kiku, you're friends with my brother, right?" The Japanese teen looked up, seeming to be startled by Matthew's question.

"Your brother?" asked Kiku. Trying to look past Leon at the other sophomore, he saw a familiar face. He had never actually paid a lot of attention to Matthew, but now, he saw the family resemblance.

The Canadian answered as he walked into the classroom. "Yeah, my twin, Alfred Jones."

* * *

Kiku didn't know what to make of it. The sibling trouble Alfred mentioned was probably with Matthew, but the Canadian didn't seem like the type to argue with someone else. What in the world could have happened? He couldn't picture yelling, or a physical fight.

The Japanese planned to ask Matthew after class, so he could help Alfred figure out a solution. He wanted to do something for one of his best friends. However, about halfway through the period, the blond was called down to the office.

* * *

From his spot near the front of the class, Matthew could hear the conversation of the teacher over the phone.

"I don't think I have a Matthew Williams in my class, so I can't send him down to the office," said the teacher. She paused for a second before asking for the Canadian out loud. Matthew sighed and gathered his things. _**'You really ARE invisible! That's hilarious. You've been in this class for the whole second semester now.'**_ He walked to the door, brushing past the teacher, who was still talking into the receiver, and left the room.

From outside, he could hear Mrs. Chang yelling at the secretary, and then a monotone voice that told the frustrated woman that his captain had already left for the office. The blond made a mental note to thank Leon later in the day. His soft footsteps made almost no sound in the hallways, which were empty except for a few sheets of paper. As he made his way down to the office, Matthew didn't know what to expect. Was Mr. Vargas going to check up on him? Was Mr. Beilschmidt going to officially kick him off the team? The closer he got to the office, the more nervous he became.

When he got there, the secretary didn't see him. By himself, Matthew made his way to the principal's office. He didn't run away, because that would have made the entire situation worse.

Waiting in the same chairs that he had sat in prior to his suspension was a woman and a teenager with gauze taped over his nose. Both of them were brunets, and they had the same eyes. Matthew could only assume that this was one of Alfred's victims and his mother. The two turned to face him, and the Canadian watched as the mothers face contorted with disgust, similar to Frederick's daily expression. Her son didn't look disgusted, only angry. The junior with a broken nose stood up, and when he did, he towered over Matthew.

"See what you did, Jones? I'm going to get you kicked off the football team for this." Satisfied with the wide-eyed look on Matthew's face, the boy sat down with a heavy thump in his chair.

Mr. Vargas motioned at an empty chair. "Please, come sit down." The sophomore did as he was told, taking a seat apart from the two others seated in front of the desk. "Now, about the incident, Mrs. Tanner, I would like you to know that I have given Matthew here a week of suspension, which he has just finished, two weeks of detention, and a temporary suspension from the hockey team."

The woman, Mrs. Tanner nodded with a solemn face. "Is that what was deemed appropriate for this situation?" The principal replied affirmatively, and she seemed to accept it. However, the teenager beside her did not.

"Wait. Matthew? Hockey team? Who are you talking about, Mr. Vargas? **Alfred Jones** plays football! Don't you mean the football team?" As the words came out of the junior's mouth, Matthew froze. He quickly looked away from the principal, whose gaze was now turned on him. The silence could only mean that the principal was thinking of a way to respond.

"Yes, sorry, I meant to say the football team," said the principal, "And we are planning to let him back onto it soon." Matthew almost brightened up at the sound of the possibility he could return to the hockey team. _**'Don't be excited yet, because Life hasn't finished playing around with you.'**_

"You mean to put this violent student back on the full contact football team?" The mother had gone from calm to outrage in an instant. _**'There we go, another hole has been dug, and you have been pushed in yet another time.'**_ Matthew was frozen again. He prayed that they wouldn't enquire further. Not only would that be bad for him, but bad for his brother as well.

"Well, he hasn't demonstrated any other violent tendencies in the past at our school," replied Mr. Vargas, "And it was your son and the others that provoked him verbally." Mrs. Tanner glared at her son, as if she hadn't heard that part of the story before. Said student just looked away. The principal spoke again. "We have given your son and his friends a pardon because they were injured, but please, next time, we will not tolerate any bullying on anyone's part." The woman nodded as she had before, and thanked the principal. She stood up, and her son followed suit. Grabbing the junior's hand, the mother and son walked out of the room, quietly reprimanding her son about telling the entire story. When both were out of earshot, Mr. Vargas went to close the door.

"Now_, Matthew._Care to explain?" The Canadian shifted in his seat, and he bit his lip. _**'What will you do? Tell the truth yourself? It's too late for that. He knows.'**_

The Italian man studied the sophomore in front of him, and knew what the conflicted eyes of the Canadian meant. "You didn't do it, did you? You can tell me the truth."

Swallowing, Matthew made his decision. "I did it sir. No one else. He was probably just confused about the incident since he received a head wound." Not looking up, he continued. "Alfred and I are twins after all, and he probably thinks that Al was the one who beat him up."

The principal nodded, wondering why the boy would still go this far. "Um... Mr. Vargas, please don't punish Alfred. He has nothing to do with this." Now the Italian understood. Everything Matthew had done was to protect his brother. Mr. Vargas silently wished that his twin grandsons would do that much for each other.

"Now, about the hockey team," started the principal. Matthew immediately looked at the principal when his team was mentioned. "I am planning to let you back on. I would like you talk to your teammates though, for causing a disturbance." The Canadian cringed, because he knew Gilbert had come into the office everyday to argue with the Vice Principal.

"Also," said the principal, "The Student Council President wrote me a very convincing letter, telling me to let you back on the team." Mr. Vargas looked directly at Matthew, and smiled at him with an outright grandfatherly smile. "You have very good friends Matthew, even if other people may forget you." At this, the Canadian smiled.

The principal smiled as well, and after a brief chat about detention, sent Matthew on his way to second period. Shortly after the sophomore left, Mr. Beilschmidt came in.

"What did I tell you? I knew he didn't do it," said Mr. Vargas. "You were wrong."

"... Shut up, Roma."

* * *

The rest of the day passed without any problems, except that Matthew was forgotten by some teachers. He handed in all his work, and did his best to catch up on all classes. When the Canadian had told his teammates he'd been allowed back on the team, everyone was overjoyed. Their captain was back, and now it was sure that they were going to keep their title of State Champions. Gilbert and Matthias, who had both stood on their chairs in celebration, had to be pulled down by Ludwig and Berwald. Even the emotionless players, Leon and Nikolas, had cracked a small smile each.

When he saw Arthur, he thanked him, and the older student flushed, but tried to recover by coughing and clearing his throat. The hockey team members all laughed, and the Brit blushed even more. Watching everyone smile, Matthew smiled as well. Before, even with hockey, he had hated school. Now, because he knew everyone cared so much, that feeling had changed.

If only he could say the same about his situation at home.

* * *

It was after school, and Matthew headed off to detention. Alfred, who hadn't talked to his brother at all since his apology, went to football practice with his team. The American was mad at his twin. He had apologized twice already, and Matthew still didn't forgive him. Even grudges couldn't be held for this long. His frustration came out in his game. Everyone on the receiving end of the quarterback's passes commented on their resemblance to bullets. At the end, Alfred got encouragements to keep up the great work, but that didn't help his unease at all.

Leaving the change room alone, he started walking, passing by the room his brother was serving detention in. Without even turning his head, he went right by. No need to care about his twin if his twin didn't care about him.

Ouside of the school, Alfred rounded the corner where he was supposed to meet up with Kiku every Monday. When he was met by an empty grassed area, he remembered that Kiku had told him he had to go finish a report. Shrugging, he turned, ready to go home. However, five people blocked his path.

"What's up, guys?" asked Alfred.

"We're Jay Tanner's friends," they replied. The American thought for a couple seconds before shaking his head.

"I don't know a Tanner," said Alfred. "I have to get home guys, see you tomorrow." The blond tried to walk past the five people, but he couldn't. "What do you guys want?" Alfred was now annoyed.

"Payback. Jay told us you beat him up last week." Oh. Now the football player understood. He looked at all of the face of the people obstructing him. And he smiled. Only, this smile was reserved for when he was really mad. It was one of the scariest things that the other students had ever seen.

"Alright, you want payback?" demanded Alfred in an eerie voice. "Come and get it." The five people hesitated, but charged at their target.

Switching from a smile to a sadistic sneer, the American felt his excitement rise as he whipped the first person across the head.

'_**They asked for a fight, and they shall get a fight.'**_

* * *

**To be continued!**

**MEHHHHH i know. I promise! I'll try harder!**

**Until then, please review (need encouragement) and Concrit would be very helpful.**

**Ciao!**

**-CCM**


	3. Chapter 3

**CCM here! Hello!**

**Here we go! The last chapter. Wow. My stories are really short.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this.**

**Warning, there is stronger language in this one. A couple words here or there.**

**I don't own Hetalia!**

* * *

Roma Vargas, principal of Terra High School, was packing up, ready to go home after staying after school for two hours. He was eating dinner with his grandsons, and even though Lovino denied it, the pasta that Feliciano made was delicious. So, when he received a call telling him that he and Siegfried were going to have to wait while a teacher brought in some students, he wasn't very happy.

Siegfried Beilschmidt wasn't pleased either. Why in the world was his school getting so violent these days? Not that he could deny that his older grandson didn't get in his own share of trouble, but it was almost the end of the year. The German vice-principal could only sigh as he made his way to the principal's office to wait for the students together with Roma.

* * *

Alfred glared at the five people who stood on the other side of the asian teacher. The lady had found them in the middle of their fight, and had also distracted Alfred. Now, the American was nursing a rapidly swelling cheek as the group of six students and one teacher went to the office.

They reached the door of their destination, and were marched in. Going down the hallway, Alfred could still feel the wary glances from the other students. The football player had completely dominated the fight. All of them were battered, while only Alfred's face was injured. When he entered the room, Mr. Beilschmidt seemed surprised to see him. "Williams? Again?"

Mr. Vargas poked him, making the tall German glare in annoyance. "No, that's Alfred Jones." The American was surprised. It was the first time he had ever been mistaken for Matthew.

"I found them fighting near the bicycle racks," said the teacher who had brought them in, "I leave them to you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chang." The teacher nodded and left. Alfred and the five juniors had stood away from each other, and were in the middle of a stare down. "Now, how do I deal with this?"

When the principal asked how it started, Alfred spoke. "They wanted to fight for revenge, and they charged first."

"You told us to come and get it!" shouted one of the five. "And besides, you hurt us more than we hurt you!"

The two adults looked back and forth between the students as they argued. This was probably something related to last week's incident, only this time, Matthew wasn't here in his twin's place. The two adults were in no mood to deal with any of this.

"Two day suspension and detention for two weeks, all of you," said Mr. Beilschmidt. Hopefully this was enough. Banning Alfred from the football team right away wouldn't do anything but cause a school wide riot. "We will inform your parents now, and your suspension starts tomorrow. Jones, this means no football during your time away from school. We will see about the team after your suspension is finished. Dismissed."

Alfred left first with angry stomps, and when the others heard his footsteps fade, they left as well. "You went rather easy on them this time, Sieg," noted Mr. Vargas.

"No sense in having a repeat of last week." Was all Mr. Beilschmidt said before leaving. Roma smiled at his friends retreating figure. The German never changed.

* * *

On his way home, Alfred thought about what he should tell his dad. He didn't want what happened to Matthew to happen to him. He decided just to let it be. His dad would find out anyways.

Alfred arrived at the door, and reached into his bag for his keys, only to realize he had forgotten them. He reached up to ring the doorbell, and surprisingly, Matthew had already opened the door. "Al, what took you so long?" asked the Canadian. "Football ends around the same time as detention right?"

"What do you care? You're not my mother." Alfred shoved roughly past Matthew, and tried to go upstairs.

"I'm not, but I am your older brother." Matthew was holding Alfred by the arm, and was flung against the wall by the American's movements.

"What kind of brother makes their twin feel guilty, then not accept apologies? A crappy one." Alfred watched as his brother looked at him in confusion. The American smirked. "Yeah, that's right. I know you told someone to write that letter. Then I apologized, and you just ignored me. You fucking ignored me. What's the point, Matt, if you don't take the damn apology?" When Alfred started to swear, he was beyond mad.

"What? Al, I-" That was all Matthew managed to stammer before Alfred leaned in and glowered at him.

"Shut it. You know what? I'm glad I didn't spend all the years of my life with you. Otherwise, I would probably hate you much, much more." The American turned and went upstairs, shutting himself in his room.

Matthew watched his brother go, but couldn't believe what Alfred had said. Did Al really feel that way about him? No, it was probably just his anger speaking. _**'But how far from the truth would it be, Matthew? You still heard him say it. Alfred finally admitted it. He HATES you.' **_The Canadian covered his ears as if he could stop hearing whatever that voice in his head had to say. He didn't even try to stop his rapid, shallow breaths as he slid down the wall. All Matthew could think about was the fact that his family was falling apart again, but this time, instead of having his mom with him, he was all alone.

* * *

Alfred was lying on his bed, earphones blasting music into his ears, when he heard knocking. He didn't answer, but took out one of his earphones.

"Um... Al, I... just wanted to tell you that I honestly didn't hear your apology." The whisper was so quiet that Alfred removed his other earphone in order to listen. "If it was yesterday, I probably just missed it, but if it was Friday, I went to sleep early. I... didn't really eat dinner that day, so I went to sleep early. Also... about the letter... I don't know what you're talking about." The American stood up silently, walking closer to the door. "Uh... so... that's it. If you still..."

Here, Matthew choked a bit, like he didn't want to say what was coming next. "If you still hate me, it's okay. I know I've probably been a bad brother, but I... just really thought you should know." Alfred was about to turn the door knob when Matthew's footsteps retreated and he heard the door to his twin's room close. Stopping himself, the American ran his hand through his hair. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He went and leaned against the wall that separated his room from Matthew's. If Mattie was telling him the truth, what the hell was he doing, saying he hated his twin? Why the hell was he being such an ass? Why was Matthew saying he was the bad brother?

Why was he mad at Matthew, when the one he should be mad at was himself?

* * *

Matthew was back in the place he was the week before, except this time, it wasn't school related. His heart was shattered, and the place he was in no longer wanted him. He didn't care if people at school didn't notice him, didn't know he existed. They weren't related to him. However, this was his own family, and if they didn't want him, who did?

'_**That's right. Frederick, Amelia and Alfred were happy together. But then you arrived. You tried so hard to tell yourself that this was your family. That this is where you belonged. Guess what? They hate you. Your brother said it, Frederick shows it, and Amelia probably hasn't gotten close enough to you for her to hate you yet. Face it Matthew. Stop lying to yourself.' **_

The Canadian's entire body had gone numb again, and instead of it being a complete repeat of last week, it was worse. In any case though, he wouldn't allow himself to cry. He'd been through worse times, and he could survive through this one.

'_**It'll all fall down soon enough. Soon, trying to trick yourself won't even be possible.' **_Matthew just shut his eyes, pretending that trying to sleep would make it all okay. But if it did, he would still be in Canada, and his mom wouldn't be gone.

* * *

That night, when Matthew and Alfred sat down for dinner, they avoided each other's eyes. Alfred tried to cover it with his usual smile, and it worked. No one noticed that anything was wrong. Matthew didn't do anything to hide his gloom, but it was still alright. No one noticed him anyways.

As the family started eating, Amelia tried to start a conversation, but it would always end after a couple sentences were spoken. Nothing seemed to be able to break the tension surrounding the table. It was weighing down heavily on everyone. When Matthew stood up, getting ready to leave the table, Frederick spoke. "Sit down."

"Dad, did you say something?" asked Alfred.

"I told your brother to sit down!" Matthew complied, and Frederick started up again.

"What did we say last time about violence? WHY DID I GET A CALL ABOUT MORE SUSPENSIONS? DO YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME? WHY WAS THERE A CALL TELLING ME ABOUT MY SON'S SUSPENSION?" Completely confused, Matthew did not know how to respond. He hadn't done anything except return to the hockey team and serve detention. There was no way he could have fought anyone. He didn't know what was going on.

"Dad," said Alfred, "Actually, I-"

"Al, be quiet. I'm trying to teach some lessons here." Frederick turned his attention back to Matthew. "MY WORDS SEEM TO ENTER AN EAR AND COME OUT THE OTHER. IS THIS YOUR WAY OF TELLING ME THAT YOU DON'T SEE ME AS YOUR FATHER? I KNEW LEAVING YOU WITH MARIANNE WOULD DO THIS. **I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T TURN OUT RIGHT!"**

The older twin was now staring blankly at Frederick. Nothing was coherent to him anymore. All he heard was shouting. All he saw were blurs of colour through his tears. Matthew just let them flow, but he didn't sniffle, didn't move. If it wasn't for the chair holding him up, the Canadian would have just fallen to the floor. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing fit together.

Amelia looked frantic, and Alfred was watching everything. The American sat stiffly in his chair, listening to his father yell. Suddenly, the poem that he had gotten stuck in his head before resurfaced. _**'Taking all the glory, while another takes the blame. Is that what's happening?' **_He looked at Matthew, but something seemed off about him.

Frederick was still shouting at his older son, with no sign of stopping. "ONE DAY, YOU'RE GOING TO GET ALFRED IN TROUBLE. ONE DAY, HIS CAREER COULD BE RUINED BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO MESS AROUND. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? NO, YOU WEREN'T THINKING. **YOU JUST DON'T THINK.**" When Matthew didn't react, Alfred knew something was wrong. He couldn't let this continue.

"Dad, it wasn't-" The younger twin was cut off again, but this time, he persisted.

"DAD. It was me. I got suspended. It wasn't Matt."

Frederick stopped and stared at Alfred, then at Matthew. The older man opened his mouth to speak, but his words were still directed toward the Canadian. "See? What did I say? WHAT DID I SAY? YOU GOT YOUR BROTHER IN TROUBLE. **HE'S PROBABLY TAKING THE BLAME FOR YOU.**" Alfred, hearing that last remark, couldn't stand it.

"DAD! Mattie's the one covering for me! He should have never got in trouble!" At Alfred's words, Amelia and Frederick both stopped whatever they were doing, and just looked at the football player. Matthew slowly turned his head, but nothing passed over his face. "Even before, last week, Mattie was taking my place. Dad, you shouldn't be yelling at him. Mattie's the one who gets good grades and is the captain of the hockey team. It's not Mattie's fault at all." Frederick sat back down, with a look on his face that showed he was trying to digest the information, but it wasn't processing. Amelia was immediately beside her husband, patting his back.

Alfred looked at his older brother, who wasn't facing him anymore. "Hey Matt? You okay?" The Canadian stood, but couldn't hold himself up. Alfred ran around the corner of the table just in time to catch Matthew as he fell. Waving his hand experimentally in front of his brother's face, Alfred was worried when he got no response even though Matthew's eyes were open.

His strength came in handy when he picked up his brother, and brought him upstairs. Reaching Matthew's room, he set the Canadian on his bed, and sat down. "Matt... I'm sorry."

* * *

Matthew had stopped listening after hearing the name of his mother. He couldn't take it. No. Any more of this, and he was sure that he would actually faint from being theoretically kicked and beaten while he was down. So he blocked it out. The Canadian let all his thoughts go, and all his emotions go as well. He was faintly aware of tears flowing down his face, but made no move to wipe them away. It took all his remaining senses just to keep himself together.

When he heard Alfred speak, Matthew had turned towards him, and when his twin was finished, he turned away. _**'What good could that do? The damage is done.' **_Matthew had tried to stand up, to get away from it all, but he felt everything leaving him. He let himself fall.

He anticipated the ground, but Alfred had gotten in the way. The Canadian was held up and carried all the way to his room. Matthew heard Alfred's apology, but it didn't register. What did though, was a hand on his forehead.

The blond grabbed onto it like a lifeline as sobs started taking over. This was years of saved up sadness and loneliness being let out all at once. Matthew knew he was weak, that he was just giving in to his depression, but he couldn't keep it in. This past week had been a nightmare, and just when it seemed like it was over, everything came back. The yelling, the screaming, the insults, the neglect. Everything. Matthew couldn't take it. He just let himself cry until there was nothing left.

* * *

Alfred could only watch as his brother cried, holding onto his hand. He didn't know that his twin had held this much inside. How strong did a person have to put up with this all by themselves? How could he have let this happen to the person closest to him? The American felt worse and worse.

Toward the end of Matthew's tears, Alfred gently propped him up into a sitting position. "Matt, you alright?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Matthew, "Even if you hate me I still kept you here."

Alfred shook his head. "I don't hate you Matt. I hate myself for being a total dick." The American patted his brother on the head. "I'm sorry for all the times I've ignored you. I'm sorry for always having you take my place. I'm sorry for letting Dad yell at you." Burying his face in his brother's hair, like he did as a kid before their parents divorced, Alfred muttered apologies for every single thing that he had done wrong. After the sorries stopped, the younger twin gently pulled away, and the two brothers sat for a while, in a silence that was no longer tense.

"Al?" The Canadian spoke as he wiped away any stray tears.

"Yeah, Mattie?"

"Thanks," said Matthew, looking up at Alfred while successfully putting a small smile on his own face.

Alfred hugged his brother, something he hadn't done for a long time. "No problem. It was about time this hero started taking responsibility."

* * *

**It is done! C'est fini! **

**J'ai travaillé fort, non? Haha. Right before school starts too.**

**Review, guys! Any feedback on my writing would be amazing.**

**Thanks for reading this!**

**CantaCookieMonster**


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